True Grit : Movie Review

Movie : True Grit (2010)
Ted Puffer's Rating : 4 stars

I was able to catch an advanced screening of the Coen brothers' "True Grit" in Palm Springs yesterday, and I've got to admit that it's one heck of a good movie. Now I love the Coen brothers movies. They are mostly known for off-beat characters and ironic humor, but what really draws me to their films are the complex plots. Each movie they create is centered around a plot that can't be summed up in one or two sentences. That's not easy to do. After awhile most movies fall into genres and can be trapped by them. Romantic comedies must have a break up scene, horror films need to have shadowy chases, etc. And that's fine, there really isn't anything wrong with sticking with what works. But Coen movies use these devices sparingly if at all, and try to tell larger stories then the genre usually sees.
True Grit is a Western. Now I hate westerns, horses and the desert in general. So the fact that I actually liked this movie and would see it again should speak volumes. One reviewer mentioned that there are no cut away shots where the camera lingers on a rolling horizon. I agree with this. Westerns can be counted on for throwing the breaks on the plot while the camera wanders the countryside. True Grit avoids this trope.
Today I watched the original, which I hadn't seen before. I was struck with how much of the dialog matched word for word between the two films, but they are completely different movies. It's actually worth seeing just for this, because it allows the viewer to see how two different directors (and actors) can start out with the same script but end up miles away from each other. John Wayne is good, no doubt. But darn it, I like the updated version better. I'm not completely sure why the first doesn't strike me as a 'landmark' film, and I hate to think that I'm only able to enjoy movies shot in a modern style with massive budgets. However, the fact remains that while I liked the first movie, I have no desire to see it again. The updated version blew my socks off.